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Hello all. Last night on Gardener's World Monty Don effortlessly frilled drainage holes in the bottom of a galvanised metal trough. I have 2 similar troughs and our drills make no impact. They are the sort of trough you would see out in the fields for animals to drink from - very strong. Any ideas as to how to drill through successfully?
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Welcome to the vine.
A tough METAL drill bit in an electric drill should do the job.Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet -
try a metal drill bit,as you may have used a wood one,this is only my thoughts,sigpicAnother nutter ,wife,mother, nan and nanan,love my growing places,seed collection and sharing,also one of these
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Use a sharp has drill bit and if the metal is thick, drill a small hole say 2-3mm or around 5/32'' then go up in size progressively until you reach the size you want.
Problem with drilling galvy is you damage the rust protection wher you drill so it'll start to rust where you start drilling.
Are you sure it's galvy and not stainless steel? That is a little harder to drill and is easy to blunt your drill bits on. Test with a magnet. Not foolproof but good stainless is non ferrous ie non-magnetic.
Edit welcome to the madhouse
Last edited by RedThorn; 06-04-2013, 10:12 AM.Never test the depth of the water with both feet
The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory....
Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.
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Hello & welcome
What RT says ^^ plus use a lubricant,the fumes from heated zinc are not very good for youHe who smiles in the face of adversity,has already decided who to blame
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity
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Sharp high speed steel drill bit, lots of push and low revolutions. High revs will take the edge of your bit before you can blink.
PottyPotty by name Potty by nature.
By appointment of VeggieChicken Member of the Nutters club.
We hang petty thieves and appoint great ones to public office.
Aesop 620BC-560BC
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Hello again and thank you so much for your welcome and helpful suggestions. We tried again, having sorted through the collection of drill bits, and with a little bit of determination, have succeeded. Pathetic that we didn't get it done first time really, but DIY really isn't our strong point!
Red Thorn not sure about the material but I'm sure they will last a good long time, even if rust does start to develop. Anyway pleased that I can now plant the troughs up after having them around since January.Comment
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Happy planting
Never test the depth of the water with both feet
The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory....
Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.Comment
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For drilling neat and tidy holes in any kind of container, I recommend a cone step drill (Unibit). When drilling holes in thin material there is a tendancy for the drill to snatch and screw itself in volently, a step drill starts off giving you a 4mm hole and step by step it opens it up by 1 or 2mm increments. There are other methods such as sandwiching the material between thick scrap wood, metal or plastic, but the step drill is quick and easy, and safe. However they are not cheap and always go for the HSS version and they will last you for ever, the one bit will drill holes in a variety of sizes, using a hole saw you need a different one for each size, and the saws blunt quickly. And those flat blade things? throw them away before you hurt yourself."...Very dark, is the other side, very dark."
"Shut up, Yoda. Just eat your toast."Comment
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